Fool's Mate
by DragonClaw13012
Summary: A new genius on the team has everyone curious. Morgan wants to set her up with Reid, but she seems to have some sort of a past with Hotch. Will it ruin his plans? And what's this about a sister? Reid/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Alrighty, so this is me actually publishing a story! Yay! School is a bitch, so after I get down what I've written so far, no guarantees on when the next update will be. Sorry.**

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**As like many fans, I LOVE SPENCER REID, so of course this requires me to write a fanfic. I hope you enjoy.**

Everyone on the team looked up as they saw a young, red-haired women walk into Hotchner's office. They looked at each other questioningly then resumed looking at their files, while occasionally throwing quick glances up to the room.

"Agent Payne, it's a pleasure to have you on the team," Hotch stood up and shook her hand.

She smiled back, "Of course the pleasure is mine. Good to see Strauss is finally off your back." He smiled slightly and invited her to sit down.

Taking his own seat, he opened a few files, "So you heard about that did you?"

"I've watched the news a few times. Facial expressions give so much away in a person."

"You've been busy," he flipped through her file, "the BAU could always use another genius."

"I would really hope that's not sarcasm," she took a sip from her coffee and cringed.

"Let's go introduce you to the team," he stood and followed her out the door. The team was waiting for them. They were trying to hide it, but as soon as the door clicked shut they all closed what they were 'reading' and looked up expectantly. Hotch led her down in front of them, "Everyone, this is SSA Payne, the newest member to our team."

"Emily Prentiss," Prentiss reached forward and shook her hand as she introduced herself.

"Jennifer Jareau, but everyone here just calls me JJ," she shook her hand and offered a warm smile.

"Derek Morgan, it's nice to have you on the team."

"David Rossi, I think Hotch and I have worked with you before...?" Payne nodded and smiled at him.

Before Reid had a chance to introduce himself, Penelope came bursting into the room, "We have a new member? Why was I not told?" she shot a look at Derek and he put his hand up defensively. Penelope shook her hand vigorously, "Penelope Garcia, tech goddess extraodinare"

Payne smiled shyly, "Dr. Alina Payne. Alina is fine though." she got a few raised eyebrows at the 'Dr.' part. When Penelope settled down, she turned to the only person she didn't know yet, "Hi."

"Hi," Reid only said more when Morgan elbowed his shoulder and whispered something quietly, "Oh um, Dr. Spencer Reid. Reid is fine, o-or Spencer, whatever you want really." She gave a small smile at that.

"Alright, I know you guys are dying to ask me questions. Go ahead." Hotch returned back to his office as the questioning began. Alina sat in her new desk chair. She figured this was going to be a while.

"So what PhD do you have?" Prentiss started with one of the most obvious questions.

"Two actually. Physics and Mathematics. I was going to go for an Engineering degree next, but then I got offered a job here."

"How old are you?" Spencer looked her over as everyone got quiet.

Morgan put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, "Reid, I told you this before. You _never_ ask a women her age."

Alina laughed a bit and shook her head, "Oh don't worry, I'm long past caring, _but_ if you want to know, you have to guess."

JJ was the first to take a shot, "25?"

"Nope."

Penelope guessed next, "23?"

"All expected guesses, but I hate to say I'm actually 29," she caught their looks of disbelief, "I know I look younger then twenty. I blame my height on that." Alina was short. At roughly 5'2'' she was well below the heights of the other team members.

"What is your favorite hobby?" Morgan asked.

"Reading mostly. I also draw a lot. Mostly sci-fi and fantasy painting though."

"Have you gotten an apartment yet or are you still hanging out in a hotel?" Prentiss again.

"Ah. Definitely bought a house. I have three parrots, hotels don't really like me," she smirked as if remembering something.

"What kind of parrots? What are they're names?" Garcia was excited, she loved pets.

"African Grey named Alphonse, a male eclectus named Newton, and a blue and gold macaw named Pandora,"

"Aww that's so cute... can they say any words?"

"They usually just repeat what they heard, but there are a few phrases they've picked up on. Pandora can only say each of our names, but Alphonse and Newton will fly over to her if she calls."

"Hometown?" Morgan asked.

"Chicago. Not a lot of interesting things about that."

"Any super secret talents we should know about?" Garcia wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Alina looked forward, thoughtful, "Well if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret now would it?" she smirked at Penelope's disappointed scowl.

"Well now that you've played twenty questions... Morgan, how about you show her around the place." Rossi didn't want them to waste an entire day interrogating the new girl.

Morgan led her around the office, being his usual cocky self. The first stop was the break room, where Alina insisted she get coffee. She poured herself a cup and proceeded to dump like half a cup of sugar in it.

"How can you call that coffee?" Morgan shook his head. The sugar addiction reminded him of someone else in the office.

"Coffee's too bitter," she sipped it cautiously, making sure it was the right balance. Once she was satisfied, she allowed the office tour to continue.

The rest of the team was still curious, but they resumed their previous doings and let her be shown around by Morgan. He was a strange choice though, considering he sometimes let his curiosity get the best of him. When the tour was done, Morgan tried one of his many charming pick up lines and Alina merely rolled her eyes. Morgan laughed and they both sat down and started going through files.

Near the end of the day, people started packing up and heading out. Alina looked around the office thoughtfully before her eyes rest on one of the only people left: Spencer Reid. She walked over to him shyly, carrying something in her hand. When Reid finally looked up, she placed the object down on his desk, "Interested in a game of chess?"

"Depends how good you are. I do want to be home before dinner time," Reid wanted to play her regardless of course. He lived alone. It didn't matter when he ate dinner.

"Well the longest chess game theoretically possible is 5,949 moves, so the question is... can we make that many moves before you usually eat dinner?"

"You seem sure of yourself," Reid was intrigued by her confidence in her chess.

She answered by simply holding up both fists, one pawn of each color. Reid chose her right hand and won the white. She smirked as they set up the board and began to play. It was merely 20 minutes in when Reid realized just exactly what he was up against. Alina wasn't trying to win, she was specifically trying to make him fall for a stalemate. They had even pieces on the bored, but Reid's positioning was better. Her pawn structure carefully protected all of the best moves.

"Check," Reid finally breached her defenses. She moved her king quickly to the next space, as if expecting him to put her in check. The next 20 minutes were carefully calculated moves from both sides. When it was Alina's turn again, they both saw it. The forced mate she had so carefully been planning. With a few more wonderfully executed moves, the words finally came out.

"Shah Mat," Reid smiled at the reference and shook her hand.

"'The King is dead' indeed. I'm impressed. I almost never loose at chess," he helped her pack up the board and looked at the time. It was getting especially late now.

"Well I suppose it's about time you start. You can only get better at chess if you play someone better then you."

"I expect a rematch," Reid packed up his back as he watched her button up her maroon trenchcoat.

"And I expect nothing less," she winked at him, then made her way out of the building.

When she got home, her parrots all flew over excitedly. She had been gone longer then usual that day. She cooked herself dinner and let them share a few nuts and vegetables. Then she told them about her day and her new job. They repeated a few words like 'job' and 'FBI', but when she told them about playing chess, Alphonse focused on the same word. 'Spencer.' He repeated it until she got flustered and put them away to bed. Covering the cage, she whispered her goodnight, then maneuvered around the boxes in her house and crashed on her bed.

It was a large house for one person. Her parents were rich, and she received half of the inheritance. Her sister received the other half, but she didn't know where the young rambunctious little sister was living at the moment. Katie had always been the social one in the family. Plenty of people interested in her, but she had a smart head on her shoulders, and never got caught up in anything bad. After what had happened to their parents, they made a promise to never lie to each other. About anything. Unless it was, you know... classified.

She simply wished sometimes she wouldn't be so awkward around new people. Knowing what questions they were going to ask was easy enough to figure out, but once the questions became more personal, she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to let them know the truth.

Something to think about tomorrow. For now, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The next day, Alina woke up and drove off to work. She arrived rather early, about the same time JJ arrived. Getting her coffee, JJ was still curious about a few things.

"So what is this secret you don't like people knowing?" JJ knew her chances of getting an actual answer were slim, but she had to try. She liked getting to know people, and she was just making conversation.

Alina blew on the top of her coffee and took a sip before answering, "Ah. That. It's not even a big secret, but I've learned it's better not too tell the guys," she smirked a bit, "I'm a contortionist. Specifically a backbender. Sorry I can't show you, but these clothes don't exactly bend like I do."

JJ smiled, "Yeah I wouldn't imagine. Don't worry, I won't tell the boys."

"Yeah." Alina winked at her when she noticed Morgan come in. She walked out to her desk and sat down. Sipping her coffee, she waited as the rest of the office came in.

Reid sat at his desk, then thought for a moment before walking over to Alina's, "I have a joke." Rossi overheard this and shook his head. Not this again. Alina, however, waited for Reid to start. ""How many existentialists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" Rossi sighed and shook his head. Prentiss looked confused, but Alina simple smiled and indicated she didn't know. "Two. One to change the lightbulb, and one to observe how it symbolizes an incandescent beacon of subjectivity in a netherworld of cosmic nothingness." Alina tried to stifle her laughter and Reid also gave his own joke a few chuckles. Everyone else just looked at them like they were crazy.

When Alina and Reid noticed the empty stares from of the rest of the team, they both tried to explain at the same time, "It's funny because existentialists believe-"

"No no, don't try," Prentiss cut them off. They simply shrugged and turned back to each other. Reid had another joke and she laughed at that one as well. Prentiss and Rossi just observed them in disbelief.

Morgan came out to his desk and noticed the two laughing. He walked over to Prentiss and gestured to the pair, "What's up with them?"

Prentiss was still staring, "I think they're- I think they're flirting." They looked at each other and laughed. Reid flirting? Yeah right.

JJ came in with a case file and everyone got quiet. She gestured to the conference room and they all followed.

"Three victims in the past six weeks. The killing seems to be two weeks between each victim," JJ started briefing them, "All the victims are brunette, mid-thirties. They are sexually assaulted, then strangled. The third body was discovered this morning. They've left the scene until we get there."

They all nodded then headed out to the jet. California here they come.

On the jet, Alina thought it was awesome, but she tried not to act impressed. She sat across from Reid and pulled out a copy of Empty Planet. Reid watched her skim through it quickly. He remembered that book. He first read it when he was six. When she noticed he was looking at her, she was about halfway through the book. She closed the book and looked at him, "What?"

"20,000 words per minute?"

"Nope. 15,000. Why? Can you read 20,000 words per minute?" she leaned forward, intrigued.

"Yes actually. What college did you go to?"

"Cal Tech, why?" she smiled as she thought about it, "Wait, I remember, you were in one of my classes!"

Reid didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. He decided not to say anything to see what she did. He offered a hesitant smile.

"Do you remember me? I looked exactly the same back then."

Spencer thought back, he did remember a redhead with a tendency to wear maroon, "Yeah I do, do you still have that sweater?" He was teasing her.

Her face flushed, "Oh please don't remind me. It was a present from my sister! I had an obligation to wear it once,"

Spencer smiled, "Not in public."

Alina kicked his shin lightly and he feigned hurt, "You deserve that." He laughed at that. Alina smirked and began to read her book again. When she was done, she went over to talk to Hotch for a bit. Morgan came over when she moved and patted Reid on the back.

"What was that huh?" Morgan smiled when Reid gave him a look.

"She went to the same college I did."

"Oh no, I'm not letting you off with that. That looked suspiciously like flirting to me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Spencer picked up his own book and flipped through it.

"Right..."Morgan patted him on the shoulder. The both looked over at Alina in time to see Hotch laugh at something she said. Morgan looked at Reid in confusion, "Am I hallucinating, or did Hotch just...?"

"Yeah. Yeah he did."

"Looks like you've got competition eh Reid?"

"Shut up."

**So I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Reviews are always appreciated. Constructive criticism is always welcome. I'll probably get around to re-writing the earlier chapter when I finish the fic. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I warn of the horrible, horrible lameness of this chapter. I got lazy with the unsub stuff. I promise later on, after the plot and such gets rolling, I won't be lazy. For now I simply apologize and hope you read regardless.**

When they got off, they met up with the local police department and headed off to the crime scene. The girl was laying back on the bed with her eyes open and a thin bruise around her neck. Her house was left the way it was, nothing missing or moved. She had been sexually assaulted, like the other victims, but even though they had the DNA, it didn't match anyone in the database. They managed to match it to the other two victims though. So they knew it was the same guy.

While Morgan and Prentiss talked to the parents, Hotch, Reid and Payne closer observed the personality behind the crime scene.

"Well we know the victims were drugged, thats why they have no defensive wounds," Alina looked at the victim, "and he left her exposed, implying he thinks women have no right to modesty."

"The bruises on the body suggest that he does this as a sexual release. Since the victims looks similar, the trigger might be a girlfriend or wife. She was probably sexually abused by him herself."

Once they got all the information they could, they went back to the precinct to work on the profile. At the end of the day, they figured he was a serial killer that killed for control of his victims. They were still trying to find out the trigger though, and they still had almost no leads on the identity of the unsub. His behavior suggested he was local, but other then that, they really had nothing to go off of.

As they all headed to the hotel for the night, Alina suddenly had an idea and quickly called up Garcia.

"Technical goddess Garcia, speak now mortal," Penelope answered the phone in her usual way.

"Hey Garcia, I have an idea, can you search a few things for me then call with the results? I might take a few hours, but call as soon as you get something."

"Sounds good, what am I looking for?"

When Alina finally got to her room, Garcia assured her the search would take her less than a few hours. She got out of her work clothes and pulled on pajamas as she waited for the results. Turning on the TV, she flipped to the History Channel and watched a rerun of How the Earth Was Made. At about eleven o'clock she got a phone call from her new favorite technical analyst. She rapidly wrote down everything she heard and thanked her.

"Yeah, I'm going to tell them right now. Thanks a lot Garcia, you're awesome!"

"Tell me something I don't know honey, take pictures if they're in pajamas."

"Very funny," Alina smiled then rushed off to tell run what she knew by the one person she was positive was still awake.

"Dr. Payne? What are you doing here?" Reid invited her in, he had been watching the same show.

"Please don't call me that. Alina is fine. Regardless, I had Garcia search for a few things, and she found a link between the victims, other then the fact they're brunette and in their mid-thirties."

He sat down on the bed as she continued. He had to concentrate on her words so he wouldn't get distracted by the fact that she was in pajamas. Her spaghetti strap top and grey plaid pajama pants were a big change from her work clothes.

"So I had Garcia check if any of the victims had recently been promoted. At first we didn't get anything, but when she tracked back three years she got something. All the victims used to work low paying jobs at the same big company. In the group, five girls and two guys got promoted. One of the girls, the first victim, Heather Young, got a corporate job, while her boyfriend got a lower paying job under her. Because of the corporate fraternization policies, one of them would be forced to transfer or they would have to break up." She was also distracted by his pajamas. A white t-shirt and sweatpants fell differently on his body than his normal clothes.

"That could've been the trigger. Did you get the name from Garcia? We have to call Hotch," Spencer waited as she looked around for her phone, but she didn't have it on her when she ran to his room.

"Yeah I was actually going to go to his room first," Reid stiffened a little at that, "but I figured you were the only one still up," she glanced at the TV, "and apparently watching the same show."

Spencer smiled then turned off the TV and called Hotch. Alina went back to her room and threw on her work clothes. Reid met her at her door and said they had enough evidence to bring him in right now, so he and the rest of the team quickly made their way to the truck.

When they got to his house, they identified themselves as FBI then burst through the doors. JJ and Alina came in the back, Morgan and Reid came in the side door, and Prentiss and Hotch went through the front. When they found the lower level clear, they slowly made their way up to the second level. Separating to sweep the floor, Alina's heart held in her chest when she saw the unsub, John Rivers, pointing a gun at the door perpendicular to the one she just walked in. Reid tried to talked the victim down.

Alina noticed how John was positioned, he had already made up his mind. She quickly aimed and shot the gun out of his hands. Running over she subdued him and put the cuffs on as the rest of the team came in and took him in.

Obviously he confessed after that incident. The BAU decided to sleep at the hotel and take the plane home the next day. At the hotel, Hotch visited Alina in her room.

"Why shoot the gun? You could've endangered Reid's life if you missed!" Hotch was a little upset, hitting a body was easier than the smaller target of just a gun.

Alina knew he had a right to be a little upset. She was new, it could be argued she didn't know what she was doing, but Hotch had seen her skills before. "99.5% of hitting his gun. I'm an excellent shot Hotch, you know that. Now why are you really here?" Hotch knew some of her past, and she knew that was the real reason.

Hotchner's expression softened and he put a hand on her shoulder, "You don't have to try and save everyone you know. Sometimes it's beyond your control," he walked to the door, "good night." When he opened the door, Reid was standing there, slightly surprised at Hotch's exit. Hotch just nodded at him as he made his way back to his own room.

Spencer came in and noticed Alina wiping her eyes, "Is everything okay?" She looked up at him as tears started flowing from her eyes. At the shake of her head he sat down next to her on the bed, "Want to talk about it?"

Alina wiped her eyes, "Why are you here?"

Reid sighed, "I was going to thank you for saving my life. As soon as I saw him holding the gun, I knew he was determined to shoot it."

"I didn't save you're life Reid," Alina curled her knees up to her face and hid behind it.

"Yes you did," Reid looked at her, "Alina, tell me what's wrong."

She choked back on her tears, "Not tonight. Another time I promise." She got up to get tissues and wipe her eyes. Reid stood up and hesitantly hugged her when she turned back around. Tears flowed freely as she tightly hugged him back.

"Now how about we turn on the history channel and watch reruns until you fall asleep," when Alina started laughing through the tears he suddenly felt horribly awkward and out of place, "What?"

She released the embrace and wiped her tears away with a hand, "Just thinking how smooth a guy you are for a socially awkward genius." He smiled and they both lay down on the bed and turned the TV on. After about an hour, Alina fell asleep and Reid managed to slip back to his room without waking anyone up.

The next day on the plane, Reid took the seat next to Alina. She gave him a thankful smile for last night and began working on something. After 10 minutes, Spencer tried to sneak a peek, but Alina pushed him away then continued working. Morgan came over and took a look. He nearly choked out laughing then waved Prentiss and JJ over to see it. Alina turned it over at shook her head as they tried to get it from her.

"No no, don't hold out on us now," Morgan managed to get the picture out of her grasp, "think you can do one of Hotch?"

"Do what of me exactly?" Hotch looked up from his seat. Morgan showed him the picture and he forced back a smile.

"What? I want to see!" Reid was frustrated he was the only one that hadn't seen it. Alina managed to snatch the pictured back from Morgan. "Please? Everyone else got to see it." Alina bit back a laugh then showed him what she had been sketching.

"I just wanted to know what you would look like with facial hair." Reid examined the sketch. It was a rather accurate portrait of his face, except with a mustache-beard combo. He tried to glare at everyone, but ended up biting back his own laugh.

"I don't think I can forgive you," Alina's sad face made it harder to hold back his amusement, "... unless you do one of Morgan."

"Reid." Morgan gave him a cold look then simply shook his head and returned to his seat.

Prentiss and JJ however hung around. "We're just giving you a heads up," Prentiss spoke to Alina, "that Garcia's planning a girl's night when we get back. You should think of a place now before she drags us all off to a bar."

Alina groaned, "Me and public places don't exactly get along."

JJ looked from Alina to Reid, back to Alina, "we figured, that's why Garcia is letting you choose a place."

She thought for a moment, "How about my house? My birds would love the extra company."

Prentiss and JJ looked at each other and smiled. It's like they were hoping that would happen all along. "Okay, we'll all stop by at seven. I'm sure Garcia's already pulled your new address." Prentiss and JJ went to go sit back down, visibly more excited.

Reid looked at her as she sighed, "You know what you just signed yourself up for right?"

She nodded, "Yeah, but at least it's a better idea than going to a bar. Do you _know_ how many times I get carded? And I don't even ask for drinks."

He offered an awkward smile, "Yeah, same here sometimes. But maybe it wouldn't happen as often if I grew a beard." He turned the sketch back to her and she laughed.

**Again, I know it was short and super rushed and icky, but I was in a hurry to get the plot rolling. When I eventually(hopefully) re-write this, I will do a better job.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just sharing the Reid-love. Enjoy :)**

After everyone got back, and all the reports were filled out and turned in, Alina headed home. She quickly unpacked the boxes closest to the door and tried to make her house appear more 'homey.' She did just move in though, so they couldn't have that high of expectations.

At promptly seven o'clock in the evening, she heard a knock on her door.

Alphonse responded before she could let them in, "Who's there?"

"Alina's coworkers," Prentiss called. She knew the voice was one of the birds.

"Spencer?" Alphonse asked. Alina shushed it and hurriedly opened the door and invited them in.

"Did he just say..." Penelope started.

"Yeah. He learns names quickly. I was telling him how I beat Reid at chess the other day."

"Well he's going to call me Queen Penelope," Alina looked disbelievingly at her then led them to her living room.

"You have a rather large house for someone just moving here," JJ looked around in awe.

Alina glanced around. It was big for one person. Even had a pool in the backyard. "Yeah, my parents were pretty rich. The inheritance was split between me and my younger sister."

"There's a little Payne?" Garcia made herself comfortable on the luscious loveseat.

"Katie. She's only two years younger than me though. Lives around here. Off on vacation somewhere in Florida though."

"So what to do..." Penelope thought aloud. Her evil thoughts were taking time to collect. She started going through a few of the boxes close to her. "What," she said picking up a red dress with a logo on it, "is this cute little thing?"

"Star Trek costume. I was going to wear it to ComicCon, but I missed it this year."

Prentiss, JJ and Garcia smiled evilly. Prentiss spoke what they were all thinking, "How about a friendly game of truth or dare?"

JJ continued, "Rules are: nothing illegal and nothing that will get us fired. Everything else is fair game."

Alina looked a little nervous, but hesitantly agreed. They all sat down somewhere in her living room. "So uh... who starts? ... and how do you play?"

Garcia perked up, "the chooser, which will be me to start, picks a person... JJ."

JJ picked up, "Then, I choose either truth or dare. If I say truth, Garcia gets to ask me a question and I have to answer truthfully. If I say dare, then Garcia will tell me to do something and I HAVE to do it. Truth."

"Before you were dating Will, did you _ever_ consider dating anyone from the office?"

"Definitely not," she turned to Alina, "now it's my turn to ask someone. Alina. Now you pick truth or dare."

"Umm... truth."

"Interested in Hotch or Spence?"

"What do you mean by interested?"

"Any romantic interest in them?" JJ sighed, she was the female version of Reid with a little more social awareness. They had better be interested in each other. Garcia and she had already decided they were going to hook them up.

"Hotch, definitely not. He's like an older brother to me. Spencer... I'm not sure honestly." Alina thought about that. She honestly didn't know how she felt about Reid. It had only been a few days though, so she would just have to wait and see how it goes. She didn't notice the smiles the other girls were giving each other. She looked at Prentiss, "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare. Definitely." Prentiss liked taking risks. Besides, Alina probably didn't even know what constituted as a good 'dare'.

"Go jump in the pool."

Prentiss raised her eyebrows, "pulling out the big guns this early in the game? You catch on fast." She took all her electronics out and pulled off her nice clothes before doing a cannonball into the pool. Grabbing a towel from one of the lounge chairs, she came back in with a grin on her face. "JJ, truth or dare?"

"I'm a little afraid of that smile, so I'm going to say truth."

"First time?"

JJ laughed, "Oh don't remind me of college. That was so awkward!"

"What do you mean by first time?" Alina was genuinely confused. They all looked at her then sighed. She was the female version of Reid, it was wrong of them to assume she knew what they meant.

"The first time you lose, you know, your virginity." Garcia explained. A look of realization dawned on Alina's face. Garcia smiled, this would make her plan even better.

"Garcia, Truth or dare?" JJ turned her attention over to the technical analyst.

"Dare me."

"All of tomorrow, you have to act strictly professional about everything. Even dress code."

"Very evil of you. I have taught you well." Garcia turned her attention to Alina. She had such evil plans for the redhead. She only needed to say the word 'dare' and it would _all_ fall into place, "Alina, truth or dare?"

"Umm... dare."

Garcia smiled wickedly, "You will soon regret your words young one," she threw the Star Trek dress to her, "Put that on, you're going to go kidnap Reid."

Alina held the fabric loosely in her hand and looked at Garcia, "What?"

"Go put on the uniform, I'll explain when you get back."

A minute later, Alina came out of the bathroom in the short red dress. Her hair was tied back like Uhura's was in the new Star Trek film. The shortness exposed a good bit of finely toned leg. "Okay, now what is this about kidnapping Spencer?" Alphonse echoed the part about kidnapping Spencer.

"Well, I did some digging, and he happens to literally live down the street. Like two minutes away on foot. So your dare is to go to his house and convince him to come over. Feel free to tell him it's because of a dare."

"What if he doesn't want to come?" she pulled down at the bottom of the dress. Garcia had given her heels to wear also.

"With you in that... his curiosity will force him to come. Otherwise, I did say kidnap, so just pick him up and drag him here if he refuses." Garcia shared a success look with JJ and Prentiss. Their plan was falling into place.

Alina sighed and began to walk out the door, address in hand when JJ gave one last word of advice, "any longer than 15 minutes and we'll send a search party."

Not two steps out the door, the young doctor took out her cell phone and called Reid. He answered a little surprised, "Dr. Payne? What do you need?"

"First off, Alina. Please just call me Alina. Second, I'm on my way over to your house, I'll be there in 30 seconds. Just giving you a heads up," she clicked her phone off and double checked to make sure she had the right address. Knocking on the door, she heard a sharp intake of breathe, tripping, then finally the door opened.

Spencer was standing in front of her half naked, his only decency covered by a tightly clenched towel wrapped around his waist. He looked her over and swallowed thickly, "What are you wearing?"

Her face flushed. She had actually forgot her state of dress. The short piece of fabric had hiked up a bit and exposed even more of her leg. "It was a dare. Which is why I'm here in the first place. What are you wearing?" He invited her inside as his left hand stayed tightly holding the towel in place.

"I just got out of the shower when you called. I didn't exactly have enough time to dry off, let alone put clothes on." Now that he mentioned it, she did notice the beads of water dripping down his thin frame. She followed one droplet as it escaped from a few strands of hair and ran all the way down until it found refuge in his towel. Speaking of his towel, it was just low enough she could see his hip bones and the divots in his skin that led right to his... well that made her feel all hot and bothered in all the wrong places. She would need a cold shower to cool off from the fire burning on her cheeks.

He noticed her staring, but he ignored it so he was free to look himself. Uhura's dress hit all the right curves on her. She was busty for her height. He swallowed thickly, probably a B or C by his best guess, but his eyes didn't linger long. Even though she was short, her legs made him keep looking. They were perfect in every sense he could think of the word. Perfectly toned with an even skin coloration. No strange tan lines. His eyes followed her flawless legs up to the dress that barely covered what he most wanted to see at the moment. A familiar throb in his lower area snapped him back to reality though. He was still standing in front of her practically naked. "So why am I involved in this dare?"

"I'm suppose to kidnap you and bring you back to my house. I live down the street. JJ, Garcia and Prentiss are there right now," she resisted the urge to lick her lips. In his state, she actually kind of wanted to kidnap him, and judging from a few physical queues, he wanted the same thing.

He walked back to his room, "Well I suppose I'll get dressed, considering I'm going whether I want to or not." Shutting the door, he quickly dried himself off and threw on whatever clean clothes he could find.

Soon enough he had thrown on clothes and opened his bedroom door. Alina looked a little disappointed, "Work clothes?"

"Well I could always get my Spock costume..."

Alina rolled her eyes and ushered him out of the house, "Let's just find out how they're going to torture you."

**I actually have a pet bird. His name is Meeko and he's 5! As a sun conure he's super annoying, but I love him and he has many adorable moments. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Once they got back to her house, he was impressed. It was a beautiful house. Not too big, but large for just one person living there.

Prentiss had placed five chairs around a table and had an already set up game of Jenga in the center of the table.

Reid and Alina's confused expressions got them ushered to the table quickly as Garcia explained, "Yes it's Jenga, but with a twist. Every piece has something written on the bottom of it. You have to do whatever it says."

"But I'm still not sure how to play..."

"No whining. The game is over when all the blocks fall down. Then everyone should head home, it's getting late."

"Umm.. okay, but I don't know why I was dragged over for this..." Reid carefully maneuvered one of the center pieces out as everyone took their seats. "Take off my socks? This isn't going to be a stripping game now is it?" He glanced at Alina momentarily, she was uncomfortably adjusting her dress. Garcia had said she wasn't allowed to change.

"Of course not! If it were, we'd invite more people over," Garcia winked as Reid reluctantly removed his socks.

Moving in a clockwise direction, it was JJ's turn next, "Balance a spoon on your nose." She sighed and feebly attempted to balance one. On the fourth attempt, she finally got it and sat down.

Garcia was next, "'Do 10 pushups.' Aww, really? Ugh." She quickly got them over with as Prentiss carefully chose her piece.

Prentiss smirked an whispered into Alina's ear. She flushed and looked at the table.

"What? What was it?" JJ asked.

"Sorry, I can't say. Just to the person on my left."

Garcia grinned widely and looked at Prentiss. She knew which one she got because Garcia was the one that brought the game. Such a good one it was.

Alina bit her lip a little to focus on taking out her own piece. When she read the bottom she let out a small laugh and looked at Garcia, "This must have been planned. Seriously 'Put on the socks of the person to your left?'"

"Totally not planned, but totally amazing at the same time."

Reid handed over his socks and sighed. Why was he forced into this again? Taking out another block, he was glad when he discovered it was blank.

Garcia eagerly took her turn and the game continued.

About 20 minutes and a few interesting things later, Prentiss finally brought the tower down. Not that she had much choice: the last few blocks taken left the entire structure vastly unstable. The fun eventually died down when JJ happened to glance at the clock.

Deciding that 11 o'clock was late, Prentiss, JJ, and Garcia all bid Alina a good night. They got in their cars and drove off, whistling at her to not let Reid stay too long. She blushed a bit at that but waved them off before going back inside.

Reid was cleaning up the snacks that were left out before Alina stopped him, "What are you doing? You're a guest; you don't have to clean up."

"Ah but Newton is telling me too," he gestured to the bird currently sitting on the back of the couch. As Reid brought the bowls and chip bags to the kitchen, he looked back at her and added, "and does Alphonse know my name? Because I've heard someone calling my name all night."

Alina laughed and called the Grey over to her shoulder, "Yeah. He picks up on names quickly."

"Does he know Hotch's name?"

She looked up at him slowly, confused, "why would you think that?"

He set down the glasses in the sink and turned to face her, "I don't know, you two seem to have a good relationship."

"I guess so, he's like an older brother to me," she stroked Alphonse affectionately as she spoke.

Spencer inwardly relaxed, "It's late. I should get home. See you tomorrow?" he headed to her front door.

"Tomorrow," she repeated, smiling. "Goodnight Dr. Reid."

"Goodnight Dr. Payne," he caught her brief glare and smiled, "I mean, goodnight Alina."

"Spencer." she smiled at him and closed the door as he exited.

* * *

The next day, Alina woke up with an exhausted stretch and pulled on her work clothes. She was slightly confused by the mismatching socks in her hamper, then vaguely remembered they were Reid's. She would wash them before returning them to him.

They had requested her down in the firing range today, to 'show the rookies how its done'. Hotch said it was fine, so she had no problem doing some shooting. If they had heard anything from her last team, there might be a crowd.

She decided to leave her hair down today. Since she had washed it the night before, it had a nice curl to it. A light brush of plum eyeshadow and a cup of heavily sugared coffee sent her off to work.

When she walked in, she saw Hotch talking to Reid and then gesture to her. Taking a sip of her coffee she approached them.

"Alina, I was just telling Reid about your plans at the firing range today," Hotch looked at her, asking an unspoken question.

"Well Reid, if you want to tag along, I can give you a few tips and tricks."

"I don't see what's wrong with my shooting now. I passed my firearms test," Reid would rather sit down and re-examine old case files than watch people shoot things.

"It's your choice, but if you're tagging along you have to decided now. I'm going right now, and it gets pretty crowded rather quickly."

That had perked his interest. What could possibly be so entertaining about her shooting that it would rally an audience? Now he would have to tag along just to see. When she started walking away, he quickly began to follow.

Upon entering, there was already a decent amount of people in the room. They had already set up the targets for her, and the guns were lain out for her. She pulled on her ear protection, then made sure Reid had his on. He waited patiently for her to start. In each of the 3 lanes a target was at the maximum distance away.

She approached her weapon. Loading the clip, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. 9 quick pops were heard and Alina placed the gun down and removed her ear protection. She began to bring the sheet in her central lane to her. Three perfect shots in the dead center of the 5X circle. The other agents brought up the other lanes papers and tried to hold back there surprise. She had also gotten three perfect shots in the 5X circle on each of those targets.

Reid was sufficiently impressed. He really could learn a few things from her. He watched as she changed the paper and sent the single target back.

She gestured to his headphones and he took them off, "Now it's your turn. I'll guide your shots."

One of the closer FBI agents was upset, "Why does the nerd get a lesson and not us?" A few others nodded in agreement.

Alina gestured for Reid to put his headphones on, then put on her own, grabbed the gun with her left hand, looked at the guy, then put two clean shots in the groin area of the target. Taking off her headphones she simply said, "Any more questions?" She was answered when some of them hurried out of the room and the one that said the comment shook his head quickly.

Reid tried to hide his smirk as he reloaded the gun. Alina turned back to him and observed as he took his first few shots. He was okay, but a few tweaks and she could greatly improve his accuracy. She motioned a few things, but he had no improvement the next few shots. Eventually, when he loaded another clip and sent out another target, she moved behind him and positioned his arms with hers. He noticeably tensed at the contact, but after he focused again, the next shot went right next to the 5X circle. Alina remained attached to his back and helped guide the next three shots before letting him continue.

Back at her observing post, she watched as Reid outlined the center with his remaining shots. Alina was visibly impressed by his quick process. They exchanged shooting a few more rounds before returning to their desks.

"Alina, your shooting is extremely impressive for someone your age," Reid opened the door for her.

"And you, Dr. Reid, are a very good listener _for someone your age_," she teased back at him. He was the same age as her younger sister. Just two years her junior and he was impressed with her abilities. _Please_.

Upon returning to the office, Morgan was looking a little concerned and confused. Spotting Alina, he walked over, "Hey, do you know what's up with Garcia today?"

She knew exactly what he was talking about. They all knew he would be concerned with her professional behavior today, "You should ask JJ about that one, it's not my place to say."

"Thanks," Morgan left them as he went off to find JJ.

"What does he mean?" Reid fixed his hair behind his ear.

"Truth or dare yesterday. JJ told Garcia she had to be professional today," Alina was about to sit down when she saw Hotch come out of his office and look at her.

"Alina, could I speak with you for a moment?"His stern face worried her for a moment. She just nodded and shot Reid a quick confused look before going up to his office.

**Oooo, suspense! Lol. Sorry if the Jenga game was dumb, but I don't want anything too scandalous happening this early in the story ;) see you next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I definitely cheated in this chapter. Sowwy!**

**

* * *

**

Once in the office, Hotch looked down to make sure no one was watching them. It's hard to hide things from a team of profilers.

Alina was a little worried at his tense behavior. "Hotch, what's going-"

"Stop. You know what's going on." He paced around the room, "Alina, you're off your medication."

"How do you-? No. It was supervised. I slowly came off my Clonidine. The doctor cleared me and my psychological analysis was fine. It's none of your business."

"It is my business. One of your episodes could interfere with your work here. I need to know that you can do your job. Your last supervisor said you would wake up screaming."

"That only happened once. That was a particularly violent case Aaron. It's been five years. I'm _fine_."

"Alina. Please. Don't lie to me." He firmly put his hands on her shoulders and held her eyes, "Don't hesitate to call if you need anything. I know you think I'm only offering because I know the details of your past, and honestly, that's part of it. But that's only because I know you won't tell anyone about it. I'm only offering help. You need someone to talk to about this. You really do."

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't need your help," Alina shook out of his hands and approached the door to his office. Before she opened the door to walk out, she looked back and saw how concerned he was, "thank you Aaron. Really." She offered a small smile and walked out the door.

Downstairs, Reid was pretending to do something on the computer. Truthfully, he had been watching Hotch and Alina interact in the office. He was almost sure Hotch caught him the second time, but he didn't burst into flames, so he figured he was off the hook. Alina wasn't very noticeably upset, the only thing that gave her away was her clenched jaw. "Are you okay?"

Alina glanced sideways at him and pulled her chair up to his desk. She rested her elbows on the corner of his desk and sighed, "No, but I don't want to talk about it."

Spencer looked briefly around his desk, "Want to play cards or something? I'm confident I can beat you in poker."

She smiled and shook her head, "I'd be crazy to play cards with someone from Vegas, besides, I don't actually know how to play poker."

"Ah. Well then that would be a pretty bad idea," he thought for a moment, "Lunch break?"

"Was that a question?"

"... yes."

Alina stood up, "Sure. Any good places nearby?"

Spencer stood up abruptly and followed her out of the building with a smile on his face, "Most definitely."

* * *

Over the course of a month, Spencer and Alina had become good friends. There had been two cases. A serial rapist/killer with 4 victims before they finally caught him, and a vengeance killer that took out a cop before being shot down. Nothing particularly life-altering, but the loss of the cop had hung heavily in the air for a few days.

On the bright side, the weather was warming up. It was about mid-June.

Alina snapped the second strap over her shoulder and stretched. Now that everything was finally unpacked, she decided to reward herself by taking a swim. It was the first 80 degree day of the year, so swimming would be a nice relaxing change from work.

As she walked out of the bathroom, her cell phone rang. She flipped it open and answered it as soon as she saw who was calling, "What's wrong?"

"Why do you assume something is wrong?" Spencer's voice replied.

"Probably because you only call me when we're working a case."

"I was actually wondering if you wanted to do something today."

Alina was a little surprised, "Yeah. You can come over to my house if you want. Bring your swim trunks though."

"Um... okay?" Reid was confused. He searched through his drawers hurriedly. Did he even own swim trunks? He was pretty sure he had a pair... ah yes, there they were. He grabbed them and made his way over to her house. When her arrived, he managed to knock twice on the door before it was hurriedly opened. Wow.

Alina hadn't bothered to throw on a shirt or shorts, she just greeted him in her bathing suit. It was extremely modest for this day and age, especially factoring her figure. She could have easily pulled off a bikini, but instead choose a light blue one-piece. A simple, white, geometrical pattern went vertically up the right side of her swimsuit. Shutting the door, she gestured to his swim trunks, "Well...? Go change."

He hurried off into the downstairs bathroom and changed into his swim trunks. Debating whether or not to leave the bathroom with shirt on was decided by the fact that Alina had already seen his bare chest a month ago. Why bother prolonging the inevitable. Upon leaving the bathroom, he noticed Alina was already in the pool.

When she noticed him exiting the bathroom, she waited until she had his attention. Pointing to a bottle of sunblock on one of the lounge chairs, she advised him to put some on.

After lathering up, Reid timidly made his way to the edge of the pool. One end was only three feet deep. It extended into a four foot deep zone, then a bright red line and metal pipe sharply extended between the deep and shallow end. He looked at it quizzically, but Alina soon answered his unspoken question.

"I'm not a very good swimmer. I usually don't swim by myself, but in case of an emergency, I taught Alphonse how to dial 911," she sunk into the water until it went up to her chin.

Reid slowly stepped into the water. It was warmer than he expected. "How old is Alphonse? He seems to know a lot of words and tricks."

"Ah, he's about 21. He's the oldest."

"Grey's are definitely long term pets," Reid took another step in.

"Yeah, my mother got him for me after my dad died. She figured it would help me cope. My sister got a tortoise so she didn't complain," she looked at Reid disbelievingly, "Now get in before I'm forced to pull you in."

"Forced you say? By what?" He smiled and stepped all the way into the shallow end. It didn't go up very far on him. She simply offered a devious smirk and splashed him. The sudden contrast of cool water on his torso shocked him a bit, but two could play at that game.

They circled around each other, careful to be far enough away so they couldn't be attacked by a large splash. Slowly, this careful process successfully maneuvered Reid closer to the deep end, and Alina in the shallow end.

"So why did you _really_ ask to hang out? Did Hotch say something to you?" Alina stood up straight and crossed her arms. Reid stood with his back to the metal bar.

"Why do you assume everything has an ulterior motive?"

"Because there usually is. I get your point though, I'll stop being suspicious."

He was relieved she wasn't as accusing anymore, but now he was at a loss of what to say, "So... uh... anything new?"

Alina moved next to Reid on the metal bar, she propped her elbows up, "My sister has a new boyfriend. She's back in Virginia, coming over to visit tomorrow."

"Is that a good thing?"

She laughed at his cautious tone, "Yeah it is. Her boyfriend adventures are exhausting after a while though. This ones lasted two weeks already, so it's definitely serious."

"Two weeks is a serious relationship?"

"It is when she usually has a new boyfriend every three days. She travels a lot, so she's never been able to hold anything steady."

"Oh. Then I suppose two weeks is a serious relationship. Do you know his name?"

"No, but I know he works in the FBI, which makes me worried. I don't like when my sister dates people I might know."

"Yes, I understand how that could be awkward."

"So do you want to watch a movie or something? I think this is enough sun exposer for the day."

"Yeah, wouldn't want you to get sunburned or anything," he watched her get out of the pool. She gently stroked her hair out of her face and stretched back, emphasizing her chest. His heart raced as he noticed her taunt nipples straining against the spandex of her swimsuit. A breeze must have chilled her slightly. A familiar throb left him silently cursing as his mind desperately focused on something else. He quickly followed her out of the pool, confident in his own self control.

She quickly dried her hair with a towel as she stepped inside her house, "You can take a quick shower if you want. Get the chlorine off."

He was a bit confused, "Sure, I'll just head home then."

"No no, I have two bathrooms, just use the shower down here and I'll use the one upstairs."

Reid considered for a moment. This was probably a bad idea. His house was literally down the street, but he didn't really want to wander down there in only his swim trunks. He shot a passing glance at her. The air conditioning in her house was reeking havoc on his control. She was definitely a C cup. Whatever he thought before, he was positive now. The more urgent throb in his lower region made the decision for him and he nodded before taking refuge in her downstairs bathroom.

He looked down at himself. Thankfully, he had made it into the bathroom before any noticeable indication arose, but he was surprised that instead of calming down, he was more turned on. He turned the water in the shower to cold before stepping in. It was shock to his body, but he could already feel himself calm. His fingers combed through his hair absentmindedly as he looked around for shampoo. A generic store-brand sat silently on the shelf next to a single bar of soap. Massaging the product into his hair, he raised the temperature of the water slightly. The goosebumps disappeared and he closed his eyes in quiet contentment. Washing the suds out of his hair, lathered his body with soap and quickly finished his shower. No reason to give himself the excuse.

Upon exiting the bathroom, he noticed Alina bending over in front of a stack of DVD's and VHS tapes. A loose cream blouse fell beautifully over her delicate frame. Her light brown shorts gave him a nice view of her stunning legs. His eyes fluttered back up to her right shoulder when he saw red liquid beginning to soak through the fabric. "Alina, you're bleeding."

She stood up and glanced at her shoulder, "Ick." she turned to the blue macaw sitting innocently on her perch, "look what you did Pandora." Reid followed her to the kitchen as she grabbed hydrogen peroxide and bandages.

"What happened?" he eyed the angry red marks on her shoulder. She had a few light scars underneath the freshly bleeding, shallow wound.

"All of my birds like sitting on my shoulder. Pandora hasn't yet learned not to do that when I get out of the shower and when I'm not wearing a shirt. The talons go right into the skin." Her face showed only slight discomfort when she cleaned the cut out. A few small band aids and the assistance of Spencer and she was all patched up.

Spencer soon found himself on the couch as Alina popped in the first DVD. "Star Wars marathon?"

She simply grinned and sat down in the space next to him.

**Sorry I haven't been elaborate in the BAU cases yet! I will in the next case I promise. I'm just eager to get the plot rolling. Reviews are always nice! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I didn't want to cut between too many scenes. Enjoy!**

After the third movie, Alina made dinner. It was late and there was work tomorrow. At about nine o'clock, Spencer was thinking about leaving. The windows rattled briefly and Alina looked outside. A huge rainstorm had appeared out of nothing.

Spencer looked outside briefly. It was pouring. The street was literally turning into a river. "I hope this is over soon," he turned back to Alina who was shaking her head. She had already switched the tv over to the weather. The red smear over their area was unsettling. It looked like it would be bad weather all night.

"I'm afraid it will be like this for a few hours."

Reid looked outside again, thinking critically, "Well maybe if I run home now..." A sharp crack of thunder disagreed at the thought of him going outside. The lightning eager to strike down those within reach.

"You're definitely staying here for the night. I don't have the guest bedroom set up yet, but I know I have a pull-out bed around here somewhere..." she started peeking under couch cushions looking for the handle that would indicate the bed part. It wasn't any of the downstairs ones so she wandered upstairs with Reid curiously behind.

He wasn't particularly fond of the idea of sleeping over. Or maybe it was the fact that he was _too_ fond of the idea of sleeping over. Best not to worry about that now.

The last room she checked was the master bedroom. Her room. Reid was floored by the beauty in it. It was perfectly put together, not a piece out of place, but it didn't look like a scene out of a catalog. Everything about this room was a piece of her personality. An old, but well kept bookshelf fully loaded with books ranging from modern romance to old science and philosophy books. The color theme of the room was her favorite color: maroon. It was most apparent as the main color of her bed sheets. Simple accents of gold and white appeared here and there in intricate patterns and designs.

Her walls were a mix of colors in a swirl like combination. On one of the more open walls however, was a painting, carefully worked into the pattern on her walls. A single, brilliantly large phoenix. Wings spread wide in a joyful song.

"Ah! Here it is!" Her sudden exclamation pulled him out of his awe and he focused on what she was doing.

She was already pulling out the bed. It was a large pull-out that sat parallel to the queen bed. So he would be sleeping _next_ to her. Definitely not a good idea. "I can really just sleep on the couch in the living room. That would be fine."

"I could hardly let you sleep there. What's wrong with in here?" she stopped spreading out the sheets and looked at him, concerned.

He thought logically about it for a few seconds before finally deciding it wouldn't be that bad. "Never mind. This is good. Thank you."

After everything was sorted out, they both managed to get to sleep. The storm kept up a steady hard rain that pounded on the roof and ceiling. It was easy to block out after a while though. It actually seemed to help Alina sleep.

* * *

The next morning Reid was awakened by Alina's alarm clock. He brain was immediately aware of another dip in the mattress. Rolling over, his heart sped up like a car on nitro. Alina must've rolled onto his bed last night. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper, so in theory the thump should have woken him up.

She began to stir. Her alarm clock was a very quiet beeping. Since she rarely slept through the night, it wasn't necessary to wake up to a siren. Sitting up, she didn't even notice the statue of Reid laying next to her. She rubbed her eyes and crawled out of bed, finally noticing when she put her glasses on.

Her hand flew up in surprise. He had a confused look on his face by now, but Alina hardly noticed that. Her eyes were currently trying valiantly not to look down. Reid was having one of those problems that men sometimes have in the morning, and she didn't want to be the one to point out the small 'tent' he was making in the sheets. She offered an awkward 'good morning' before calming herself and walking to the kitchen.

Reid's face flushed brightly when he was aware enough to realize his own situation. He must have had one hell of a dream for it to be that noticeable through boxer-briefs, pants and a sheet. Of all the days...

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and quickly uh... re-arranged himself before standing up.

When he walked by the kitchen to leave, Alina was making herself coffee and feeding the birds. She noticed Reid out of the corner of her eye and turned her head when she heard him say, "See you at work."

"Reid, wait," he backtracked but didn't look up at her. "Here," he just managed to catch the mis-matched socks that were tossed to him, "I've been meaning to get those back to you. Uh... see you at work."

Reid hurriedly took his chance and went out the door, headed home.

* * *

At work, Alina and him didn't talk to each other. They tried not to make it obvious to the other members of the team, but when JJ got Alina alone, she asked what was wrong.

"What's going on between you and Spence? Did something happen?" She glance out of the break room to see Morgan asking Reid presumably the same questions.

Alina casually took a sip of her coffee. She had a good poker face. "What makes you think something happened?"

"Well for one, your facing away from each other at your desks."

"I'm only 36.4 degrees more away than usual. Him only 20.3 degrees away from average."

"My point exactly, and two, normally you constantly talk about Star Trek and someone's cat or something."

"Schrödinger's cat."

"Yeah that. So what's up?"

Alina fidgeted slightly with her coffee cup. She didn't really want to share something that involved another person, but she also didn't want JJ to worry. She decided that most of the truth was enough, "Well, you know that really bad storm that hit last night?"

"Yeah, it was the worst one we've had for a while."

"Well... Reid was over at my house when it hit, so he ended up sleeping over... and now it's just really awkward."

"When we go on cases we sometimes end up all sleeping in someone's house. It's really not that big of a deal." JJ understood her feelings though, especially if she and Reid were interested in each other.

"Yeah, but- I don't know it was just different."

"Well talk it out with him, or just forget it happened. That might be the easiest thing to do."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks," Alina walked out of the room and sat back at her desk. She adjusted the angle of her chair and looked at Reid. He looked away sheepishly and went back to working on his files.

Alina was about to pick up hers when JJ came back down from her office. Her entire presence had changed as she told everyone they had a case.

After going over the preliminary information, Hotch instructed the jet was leaving in 30 minutes:

They were going to Las Vegas.

**Alrighty! An update before the new episode! And in case anyone was wondering, JJ will forever stay in my story because I love her. Screw you CBS. Even though I will religiously watch the new episodes... as long as Reid stays in them :P**

**So I'm going to attempt to update this story weekly. The days may stagger a bit, but I'll try to keep on schedule. Next will be an actual in detail case and such. Should I try to do it all in one chapter? Or stretch into two chapters?**

**Reviews are much appreciated! I love them more than breakfast in the morning! :D See you next week.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to Cowboy'sMontana, EunHee Kim, EideticGirl, and taiyauchiha21 for reviewing! It's much appreciated! **

**Things get a bit spicy in this chapter! Also, sorry it's a bit late. Been busy with stuff. Enjoy!**

Once they boarded the plane, it was a relatively uninteresting beginning of the trip. Hotch said Alina and Morgan should go to the second abduction sight. Prentiss and JJ were going to talk to the families of both victims, Reid would start working on victimology and Hotch and Rossi would look where the first girl's body was found.

They didn't have much to say after that. Everyone fell into their usually routine. Morgan pulled out his headphones and Rossi read over the case notes again.

Reid took up his spot across from Alina as if by habit. They didn't make eye contact, but the gesture brought a hint of a smile to Alina's face.

Prentiss sat next to Alina after a bit. Idle chit-chat, but it was appreciated. She liked Prentiss, a very down to earth kind of person. Honest. Understanding. Pleasant.

Eventually though, Prentiss left to go talk to JJ. Alina pulled her own book out in response. Jurassic Park. Michael Crichton was always a favorite author of hers. Very thought provoking books. It had been ages since she picked up a copy of Jurassic Park though.

Skimming through it, she glanced up at Reid. He was also flipping through a book, although the angle he held it at prevented her from reading the cover. She quickly finished her book and sat there.

She was bored.

It had only been three minutes and twenty-seven seconds since she had finished reading. She considered going over case details again, but she knew it would be better to wait until they had more information. Her mind drifted off into irrelevant statistics and calculations that comforted her. Math was a nice tangible thing for her to think about. Sometimes physics was better for her boredom, but quantum theories didn't appeal to her brain at this time.

She absentmindedly began measuring everything in the plane. Area of the table, volume of the chairs, length of the couch... she could do the calculations in her head. Next she measured the length of Prentiss's and JJ's hair, Rossi's feet, Hotch's forearm. It would've seemed weird to anyone else, but she could do these calculations passively in her head. It didn't really take any concentration, but it was distracting enough that she wasn't bored.

Glancing again at Reid, her memory flashed back to the quick glimpses of things this morning.

Oh my.

Looking away, she bit her lip in embarrassment. She couldn't believe her mind would betray her like that. Sure it was practically involuntary, but _really?_Damn her mind and it's need to find comfort in numbers. There were a few things she was just better off not knowing.

She glanced over again, careful to keep her eyes up. Reid was looking at her now. Their eyes locked for a few brief moments before Alina's face flushed a vivid red and she looked away. He didn't blush, but he coughed quietly and abruptly went back to his book.

Alina eventually settled on sketching in her drawing pad. A simple phoenix. The symbol of life in death and new beginnings. Regardless of how many different ways it could be interpreted, that was the simplest of ways she saw it. That was much more relaxing than reading a book. She could already feel the color in her cheeks fade.

Her mind drifted again. It was funny that she was less alert now that she had actually gotten a full-night's rest. Her thoughts went back to this morning. This time she wasn't particularly embarrassed as she was curious. She was suddenly overtaken by a lingering desire and erotic thoughts. Her mind hadn't wandered in that direction for years now.

It was a strange craving. To be pressed against him. All of him.

Her body was suddenly hot as she imagined the feel of his hips grinding against hers. The thought made her squeeze her thighs together a little tighter. How unprofessional of her to day dream during work. On a jet. With the subject of her lewd fantasies sitting unaware on the same flight. Across from her no less.

Maybe it was because she was a virgin. At her age, it was almost unheard of, but it was true. This fact did little to console her. It did even less to distract her. Her legs became slick, as if begging for something to fill her hot, throbbing core.

She could practically feel his erection rubbing against her. The gentle rustling of clothes as he moved lower until the point of his slacks rested blissfully in the parting of her legs.

The hard flesh straining eagerly against the fabric prison it had become so quickly hateful of.

She risked a glance over at him. He caught her eyes for a split second before looking away. Her violently pounding heart only further fueled the urgent throbbing somewhere else.

Crossing her legs, she sharply snapped her head out of its fantasy. Another time maybe, but she couldn't afford to be distracted while on a case. That wasn't fair to anyone.

"Hey! Earth to the two space cadets over there," Both Alina and Reid responded to Morgan's voice. "Yeah, you guys, come be social," he ushered them over to the table where he and JJ were sitting. Prentiss was in the chair near the table occasionally participating in the conversation.

Once Alina and Reid moved, Morgan spoke again, "We are going to play some cards ladies and gentleman."

"But I'm horrible at poker," Alina protested.

"Ah, but we brought... Uno."

"How do you play Uno?" she looked at the cards curiously. Morgan just shook his head, slightly amused. JJ passed her the directions and she read through them quickly, "Oh. Okay."

They started a beginners game as the silence swept over everyone. Spencer and Alina were still extremely awkward, and Morgan and JJ didn't want to be the first ones to say anything.

Spencer eventually cleared his throat, "Alina, wasn't your sister going to visit today?"

She looked up at him, then back at her cards. Blue cards were up and all she had were yellow and green. Drawing a card, she said, "I called her before we left. Katie enthusiastically agreed to bird watching duty."

"Her way of seeing what you've been up to?" Spencer threw down a wild draw four and Morgan scowled.

"I suppose. I'm more worried that she's going to re-arrange my room. She loves messing with me."

"Well you are a little OCD about where everything is arranged in it," he caught a look from Morgan and JJ, "...I mean you probably are... judging from your...kitchen."

"I can at least expect Alphonse will be whistling the most annoying tune my sister could think of when I get back."

"Does your sister go out of her way to push your buttons? And when can we expect to meet the little Payne?" Morgan might or might not have said the last part on purpose, but Alina and JJ laughed nonetheless.

"She doesn't really go out of her way. If you know me well enough, it's easy to know how to mess with me. As for meeting her... No idea. She might not even be in Virginia next week. Traveling is her calling."

Morgan accepted that as a valid answer and placed another red card on the pile.

JJ placed down her last red and simple said, "Uno."

When it got back to Morgan, he tried to beat her by changing the color to green, but coincidentally, her last card _was_ green.

After that, they soon touched ground.

* * *

Detective Ashby greeted Prentiss, JJ, Reid, Hotch and Rossi when they arrived. Morgan and Alina had left straight for the second abduction sight. The second victim, Ashley Marrow, had been taking a smoke break outside a popular nightclub. Her body still hadn't been found. She was abducted about 4 days ago. She wasn't reported missing until yesterday though.

"This part of the alley is well lit, how could someone take her without anyone seeing?" Alina looked at the bright neon sign of the side of the building, "and what kind of name for a club is 'Skin'?"

Morgan walked to the back of the alley to see it's accessibility, "One that doesn't believe in false advertising." He noticed something in the back, "Alina come see this."

She walked over and looked, "Tire tracks? Back here? The dimensions of this back alley would fit a mid-size pretty well but don't you think it would be out of place?"

"Not if it was only here a few minutes or so. Then I doubt anyone would even remember it."

"But does that suggest a crime of opportunity or a very organized serial-killer that knew Ashley took regular smoke breaks at this time?"

"We'll have to find out more from the first victim before I'm willing to suggest one or the other. I'm going to find out just how often Ashley came to this club though," he flipped open his phone and called Garcia.

Alina meanwhile was glancing up an the neon-sign again, doing the calculations in her head. She walked again to the front of the alley and more carefully observed the ground and walls. When Morgan hung up the phone, she shared her thoughts, "This light," she pointed to the sign, "isn't angled in a way or is bright enough to light up the end of this alley." She pointed to the back corner where Ashley would've had to walk to see the car. "There are no witnesses that heard screams or saw anything out of the ordinary, so we have to assume a physically fit, street smart 26 year old woman followed someone into a dark alley way when she had her smoke break interrupted."

"That suggests our unsub is comfortable enough around women to smooth-talk them," Morgan walked back to the end of the alley and picked up a small cloth that was lying near the tire marks, "But not confident enough to get them into the car voluntarily."

Alina got out an evidence bag for the cloth. Probably chloroform if she were to guess. Easy way to control your hostages.

"The first victim was abducted from her house though. That suggests our unsub is extremely confident. Let's finish up here and see if Reid made a connection between these women."

Morgan simply nodded.

**So I'm not sure exactly what the Detective's name is that they worked with in Las Vegas before because it's been forever since I've seen that episode, but Google has led me to the name Det. Ashby. If I'm wrong and you know better, please share :) I will correct it. **

**I beg thee to review! I love reviews more than Reid loves sugar! It's true! :P**


	8. Chapter 8

**Greetings all! Sorry this update is late, powers been out and school has me doing a lot of homework and icky stuff. Please enjoy! **

"The only thing I can really link is their professions. Ashley was an entertainer at the bar a few nights a week. Samantha White was in the adult film business," Reid was also marking the geological profile, but they only had two victims, so it wasn't really helpful.

"Was Garcia able to find any thing else?" That kind of victomology out here doesn't narrow it down at all," Alina scratched her head and looked at the board. They had to be missing something.

Soon everyone else regrouped and discussed what they had found out. The body was found posed naked. The killer had reapplied her makeup. The medical reports showed bruising all over her body pre-mortem. Signs of rape and torture also.

It seemed that by the time the unsub was done with this girl was embracing the thought of death.

Detective Ashby came in while they were going over the profile, "We just found Miss Marrows body."

Hotch nodded and gestured towards Morgan, "Morgan and I will go there. JJ, the press are getting a little restless with this, see if you can calm them down. Prentiss and Rossi, look for any witnesses. This is Vegas, half the time people don't even know what they've seen. Alina and Reid, stay here and work on the profile. See if Garcia can make any more connections between our victims." And thus everyone left.

Alina looked at the board idly. Thinking.

Reid sat down and sighed. He had been staring at the board for an hour already. Trying to make unseen connections between the victims. Ashley was brunette. About 5'5'' and skinny. Samantha was dirty blonde, 5'7'' and curvy. Their features were different enough to be concerning. At least in order to profile a serial killer. His head turned when he noticed Alina talking on the phone.

"...pictures on the site. Yeah? Could you send them please? And the films Samantha was in, could you maybe look through them and see if there is anything interesting about them? ... yes I suppose I'm asking you to watch porn. I promise it might help. ... Okay thanks." she hung up and sighed again, looking at the computer.

Reid moved closer to see what she was looking at. He noticed the ribald nature of the photos, "Porn?"

She graced him with an acknowledging glance, "I have a theory," she flipped through a few more pictures before finding one that fit the idea of what she was looking for.

He leaned over and scanned the photo for an idea of what she was talking about, "She's... bendy?"

A small snort came from her as she looked up at him, "Bendy? For someone with what... three PhD's I would imagine you would come up with a better word than bendy, which by the way, isn't a word."

"Flexible."

"Well, yeah. She's not _just_ flexible though. That 'bendy-ness' isn't just from years at the gym, she was born with that kind of flexibility."

"She's a contortionist?"

"Yeah, see her spine here?" she pointed to the screen.

He just nodded at her question, "Why did you suspect something like that? It's not exactly common."

"Well I'm not sure if that's really the reason the unsub was interested in them, but I figured the way he displayed our first victim was an indication of what he liked about them. I remember a couple guys wouldn't leave me alone in college because they had a fetish for... nevermind."

Reid eyebrows furrowed briefly, processing what she just said, "... what?"

"Well because... and my sister... and they wanted..." she struggled for the words, "It's hard to explain."

"Apparently."

Garcia called her before she could say anything, "You're on speaker Garcia."

"Okay, so I looked at the first like... 10 minutes of one of her videos and, oh my. She could do some very... interesting positions."

"Would it would be weird if I asked you to send a screen shot of one of them more 'flexible' ones."

"Of course not! Garcia out, my lovelies."

Alina looked at the next picture Garcia sent her and her suspicions were confirmed. She was also a contortionist. That was the link between the two victims.

She called Hotch and once everyone came back they reviewed everything. Both victims were raped and tortured. The unsub was smooth enough to lure them away from their area of safety, but after they were out of sight, he quickly controlled them and threw them in his car.

He kept the girls for three days each then disposed of the body. The bodies were positioned in ways that were sexually and physically appealing. He probably took pictures to keep the memory of his work.

Even though they had a rather thorough profile, there was no knowing what they could really do with it. In Vegas, so many people came and went every day, and there was no shortage of pervs with a particular fetish.

"Well it's late, Garcia is keeping a track of any women reported missing this week that fit our victimology. Everyone needs to get some rest and we'll pick up in the morning."

* * *

In the hotel, everyone went straight to their rooms. They were small and cramped, but they worked. Alina stopped by Spencer's room before going to bed.

"Hey... about this morning..." she started.

"...Pretend it never happened?" he looked up at her, almost hopefully.

"Yeah, that sounds good," she lingered in the doorway, "how are you?"

"Good enough I suppose," he ushered her into his room so she wasn't just idly standing there.

She noticed his eyes flicker around the room uncertain, "What are you thinking about?" she was concerned, he seemed... confused.

He looked up at her before he chose the words to answer, "I was just wondering if I should visit my mother again, after the case."

"Well of course you should!" Alina smiled, "spend as much time with your family as you can."

"I forgot you don't really know my... uh... family situation."

"Doesn't matter. They're still alive and you should see them as much as you can," the look Reid gave her made her re-think what she said, "Sorry it just... see my dad died when I was eight, and then my mother was murdered when I was 24, so I kind of preach when it comes to valuing family. My sister's all I have left."

His eyebrows furrowed in a confused apology before relaxing into sympathy, "What happened?"

"Well my father was killed in a car accident. I actually took his last name as a tribute I suppose. Maxwell Payne, CPD homicide detective. Best father I could have hoped for," she sat apart from him on the small bed.

"What about your mother?"

Alina rubbed her arm defensively, "That... well... my stepfather stabbed her and a bunch of other stuff. It was a highly publicized case a few years ago."

"I'm not sure I've heard of it, and I've read a lot of other case files," Reid felt uncomfortable with asking now. He wasn't fond of bringing up such hard topics.

"Ah, that's because my mother took my stepfather's last name: Willow."

Reid eyebrows furrowed in disbelief and horror. He remembered reading about that case, Hotch had worked it before even though the BAU wasn't even needed. The details of the murder were horribly gruesome. "Did you see...?" he couldn't even complete his sentence, the crime scene photos were enough to give even the toughest cop nightmares.

"My mother's face being cut off when I walked into the living room? Yeah. Then my stepfather shot me," she lifted up her shirt slightly to reveal a large scar on her left side. Reid moved slightly as if he wanted to run his hand along it, to see if it was real.

He could hardly believe she had gone through so much. "Maybe, would you want to come with? My mother is a little hard to handle, but she might enjoy the extra company."

"I couldn't possibly intrude."

"Everyone else on the team has met her, you wouldn't be intruding at all. She might be rude though, so as long as you don't get offended easily..."

A small smile tugged at her lips, "Thanks, maybe I will. Goodnight Spencer," she backed up toward the door to leave.

"Try to get some sleep."

She waved softly and gingerly shut the door behind her. Returning to her room she quietly hummed a familiar tune before drifting to sleep.

Nightmares wouldn't bother her tonight.

**Next chapter might be late on the update with Halloween and all this weekend. Btw I have to say the actual show is totally stealing all my ideas! Next weeks episode is about this guy killing adult entertainers? That's a coincidence. Seriously weird. :P well please review!**

**Thanks to all who have reviewed/favorited/story alerted! It makes me feel awesome!**


	9. Chapter 9

**And an update! Probably going to either be late Wednesdays or Sundays. That's the schedule that works best for me. **

**Enjoy~**

Alina woke up early. She got another decent amount of sleep last night. She pulled on her usual clothes and made her way to the police station.

When she got there, JJ was already talking with the media. Soon after she got inside, she received a phone call from Garcia.

"Hey what's up?"

"Another contortionist just went missing. Hotch wants you and Reid to go to where she was last seen, a club called 'Glitter.'"

"Okay, but may I ask why you're calling me and not Hotch?"

"I have no idea chickeedee but if I do find out I'll be sure to tell you. Until then, I'm uploading info to your phone. Over and out." Garcia hung up as Alina got back to her car.

She called Reid and told him to wait outside the hotel, she'd pick him up on the way.

When they got to the club, Alina began questioning where people saw her last. Reid did the same, but was a bit less productive with the staff.

"Are you sure you don't want a lap dance? You look tense..." was the first thing Alina heard when she went to get Reid. She finally spotted him in the middle of 3 strippers that were doing almost everything in the book to get him to agree. He looked so out of place Alina almost laughed.

"Sorry ladies but he's with me," she dismissed their 'aww's' and held out a picture, "Isabelle finished her shift here yesterday right? What time did she leave?"

"Probably about 2ish," the taller blonde one said. "Say, Rachael, didn't you get off at the same time? Izzy left after her show was over."

The brunette Rachael nodded, "2:15 on the dot she walked out those doors."

"You said you left with her?" Reid questioned, "Did you see anyone suspicious?"

She thought for a moment, "No. We turned in different directions as soon as we walked outside."

"Anything at all is helpful. Anyone else you may of noticed. He might not have seemed out of place, but you did leave at 2 in the morning. You might have maybe looked back for a second, or looked around when you got to your car..." Alina wrote down what the girls had said. It was better than nothing, but Rachael could really help them out.

"Well, actually, now that you mention it there was this one guy," she bit her lip as she thought back, "It was weird because he was all dressed up, you know? Like business clothes. I glanced up at him briefly, and then he tipped his hat at me and smiled. Didn't really creep me out much, it was just weird."

"Did you get a good look at his face?"

"Well, it was dark out, but he was close enough to a light that I have a good idea..."

"Would it be okay if we brought you in to talk to a sketch artist? It would really help us catch who did this."

"Sure I guess."

* * *

Now that they had a sketch, they handed it out to all the officers. They didn't know who the man was, but they figured it would be better not to release the sketch to the public in case he was watching. He could panic and kill Isabelle.

Garcia was running facial recognition on residents in Las Vegas. They were pretty certain he was local. It was still a lot of people to go through though, so they couldn't just sit and wait.

Isabelle's husband soon came bursting in the door. Prentiss immediately went over to talk to him, "What's wrong, did anything happen?"

His hand were shaking as he held out a manila envelope. Prentiss opened it and pulled out a lock of hair and a sheet of paper.

"That bastard talked to my kid. Natalie, she came home from school with that in her hand. She said someone told her to give it to me."

"Mr. Brown, where is Natalie now?" Hotch asked.

"She's at my sister's place. Apparently our own home isn't safe."

"Mr. Brown, I'm going to need her address, any information from how your daughter got that envelope could tell us more about who kidnapped your wife."

He wrote it down and Hotch sent Morgan to go check it out.

JJ pulled Mr. Brown into another room to comfort him while the rest of the team looked at the contents of the envelope. The hair was definitely Isabelle's. A beautiful chestnut color.

The paper was much more puzzling. On it was something of the resemblance to a poem:

I'm willing a trade of the open fire,

at number 29,

you can come,

To sacrifice for those with more,

to live for.

P.S. orange juice is good when in Paradise.

"Reid, I need you to start looking at this right away. Alina you help, see if you can get anything from it." Hotch ushered them off as he thought of other things that might narrow down where this guy was.

"'I'm willing a trade' he's obviously playing with us at this point. A trade of what though? 'The open fire' doesn't make any sense..." Reid wrote the entire thing out on the board and began circling.

"And where does the orange juice part come from? Not to mention the fact that Paradise is capitalized," Alina was working through a few things in her head. Suddenly something clicked in her head. She paced around a bit before quietly going over to a box in the corner and fiddling around with it for a few seconds. "Hey Reid, I just remembered something really important that I have to do. It shouldn't take to long."

"Hmm? Yeah, okay," Reid turned back to the board as Alina quietly slipped out of the office.

About 10 minutes later Reid looked at the map of Las Vegas they had up on the board. He suddenly realized everything that the letter meant. Once everyone was in the room he began hurriedly explaining.

"'The open fire' refers to the phrase 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire' which is in reference to Isabelle's hair color: chestnut. 'at number 29' doesn't refer to a place, it's 'atomic number 29' which is copper. The trade is for Isabelle, and the person he wants is... where's Alina?"

"I didn't even know she left," Rossi looked around.

"Wait. Alina has copper colored hair," Prentiss flipped open her phone to call her.

"... and she's a contortionist," JJ was slowly realizing what happened.

"Reid, when did she leave?" Hotch knew what she had done.

"13 minutes ago," he went over to the box she was at earlier and swore. When they looked at him questioningly, he held up what was in it, "her gun and badge."

**Oh snap! Who saw that coming? **

**Anyways, once again thank you all kindly for reviews! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry so much for the delay! Teachers were trying to get everything in before break! As an apology I will do a double update tonight. This now and another one later. Please don't be too mad!**

**

* * *

**

~Recap~

"_Reid, when did she leave?" Hotch knew what she had done._

"_13 minutes ago," he went over to the box she was at earlier and swore. When they looked at him questioningly, he held up what was in it, "gun and badge."_

_

* * *

_

"So you did come. Good choice." The man approached her quickly, patting her down, "If you want the other girl to live, you should get in the car if you know what's good for her."

Alina obeyed. She warned him against blindfolding her before he let the girl go though. Once they arrived at the basement, he handcuffed her to the stairs before going to fetch the other woman. She was blindfolded and bruised all over.

He sent her outside with the blindfold on. They were in a secluded area, no one would notice her for miles.

She sighed a breath of relief as she imagined Isabelle reuniting with her family. She was glad she tried for the 87% chance Isabelle lived through this exchange than the 3% odds if she hadn't done it. An overwhelming feeling of guilt came over her though as she imagined what the team must be thinking now.

Soon, he had her change...In front of him. It wasn't the worst thing she's ever had to do. The outfit was tight but flexible, probably to make it easier for her to put on a show. She kept her knee high socks on though. He had no particular protest to that. He then shoved a ball-gag in her mouth. She wasn't screaming or anything, he just liked the image of it.

Low, thrumming music began playing and he hit her as an indication to begin her fluid bending. She had done a few shows before, which is probably how he knew she was a contortionist. If he dug back far enough, he could've found out nearly anything unclassified.

She bent back slowly. He was instantly transfixed in her routine. Everything was one fluid movement. It was like dancing, with a twist. It must have been impressive enough that he didn't beat her more. After an agonizingly slow 10 minutes, the song stopped. He tightly strapped her wrists together and pulled them above her head. The ropes hung on a hook that held her suspended in the air. The strain against her wrists was excruciatingly more painful the longer she was there.

He left.

She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. It was quiet wherever she was. And hot. Sweat trickled down her nose as she thought. His movements indicated he was in good shape. He would chase her down if she ran, but her choices were few, and that was one of the best ones. With any luck the team had found Isabelle. Alina had slipped her phone into her clothing as she was thrown out the door. If the team was tracking it, they would find her.

A small trickle of blood made it down her arm. Her wrist was bleeding slightly. She didn't even know she had been struggling.

She waited. Before she did anything, she would have to analyze his routine. Pick the best time to go.

After two hours he came back in with a pitcher of water. He lifted her off the hook and brought her back to an intricate metal structure. It was for her performance.

As if on cue the music started and she felt his hand strike her firmly, "Make it a good one and I'll even let you have some water."

Again she began, careful though not to show the full extent of her abilities. Over the years she had practiced more and become even more flexible, but she planned on using that later. She couldn't risk him finding out.

This time it was twenty minutes. She did get water out of it though. Right after she drank what her gave her the gag was replaced and she was hung up again.

When he left this time, she heard him grunt as he climbed the stairs. Maybe he was tired or something. She had no clear indication of time down here. Just a quiet concrete prison.

There was a road outside though. She had seen it so briefly when he sent the other girl out.

Her wrists itched and burned as the ropes dug into them deeper. Now was the time. This had to be done while she still had the strength.

Quickly and quietly she swung her legs back to catch the metal the hook was attached to. She lifted briefly and managed to free her wrists from the hook. Dropping to the ground, she was glad he had made her take off her shoes. Silently but surely she moved to the side.

Reaching into her left sock she pulled out a small knife. She made quick work of the rope that bound her wrist. She cringed as she got the ropes off, they had bit into her skin deeply. Looking around quickly, she pulled off her socks and tied them around her wrists to stop the blood flow.

A small metal pole sat innocently by her current position. She gingerly picked it up and peered around the corner.

He was nowhere to be seen.

She undid the gag and took in deep, quietly breaths from her mouth. The air was dry and hot. The walls were cool though. She was definitely in a basement of sorts.

Scooping out the floor, she finally decided that he had indeed gone upstairs. There were no windows down here. No easy means of escape.

Alina would have to go up the stairs.

The stairs that looked so old and worn that every step seemed as though it would let out an ear-wrenching screech that the prisoner was escaping.

Testing it as slowly and gently as she could, she began her ascent.

Each creek, each tiny, minuscule little sound made her heart rate double. It echoed in her ears like a car horn. It seemed impossibly loud.

Finally, she reached the top step. She didn't feel relieved however, because she was well aware that now she was in even more danger. The floor her capture was.

The floor was tile. It looked like an old diner, long forgotten in the passages of time. Dust littered the tables and the chairs were thrown awkwardly throughout the parlor. Silently she rounded each corner. There was only one way out. No back way, no employee's exit. Just the front door.

The front _glass_ door. With its old school bell sitting patiently at the top. Ready to ring to warn its frightening master.

Now she remembers it slightly, from when she was brought in earlier. Her heart staggered again. This lessened her chance of surviving. She was assuming he had a gun. He could easily shoot her through the glass. Or even if she did miss that, he could still chase her down in his truck. Walking barefoot in the dessert wouldn't get her far.

Her skin stiffened as a breeze licked her lightly. Her eyes instantly fell to an open window. Curtains danced hurriedly around as the wind picked up. She measured it with her eyes and did calculations in her head. She could fit through it.

The pads of her feet silently brought her to it. She would have to exit it backwards though. Carefully bending out. Her feet touched desert brush outside and she shifted to let her torso out next when she heard someone walking up to her position on the inside.

Quickly she pulled the rest of the way out and held her breath, staying below the line of sight from the window. She heard him leave, but hurriedly run down the stairs. Getting her knife out, she slashed his tires and glued herself to the side of the building. Listening intently.

An angry yell from inside indicated he knew she was gone. She held her breath steady as she tried to calm down. The next thing she heard after a few minutes was tires breaking on sand. Daring a quick look around the corner she saw black SUV's pull up.

Her brief moment of relief was cut short as she heard boots crunch the sand behind her.

"Found you."

She ducked quickly and ran zig-zag away from him. Puffs of sand erupted near her feet as shot after shot missed its target. When the shooting stopped, she turned briefly and flung the knife at him just as another shot rang through the air.

**I know. Sorry for cliffhangers, but I simply love them too much! Next chapter will most hopefully be up later tonight! Please Review~**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yes! Double update. I know this chapter is superbly short compared to my other ones, but the next chapter should wrap up the Vegas trip and is vastly different in content than this one. So patience! And Enjoy~**

Strong arms embraced her from behind. Her tormentor fell in death. Her breath steadied as she relaxed in a silent embrace.

Spencer.

She knew his smell. The sweet musk so representing of him. Turning, she returned the relief, fingers clawing desperately at his shoulders.

Her face nestled in the crook of his neck. Familiarity and safeness swept over her.

"Thank goodness you're safe," was all he managed to say as he pressed his forehead against hers.

After what felt like an eternity, they separated. She went over to inspect the dead man.

Her knife had sunken deep into his forehead. It might have been what killed him. A bullet whole was also apparent by her knife though. Another kill shot. Impossible to tell what actually killed him. All the better she supposed. At least it was over.

Prentiss and JJ came over to check on her too. She only felt a wee bit dehydrated, but they quickly took her off to the hospital.

Sitting in the bed, she prepared herself when Hotch walked in. He was relieved she was okay, but at the same time, she knew all to well what he was thinking.

"What were you thinking?" His voice was calm, measured, controlled.

"Probability."

"What?"

"If I cooperated with the trade, the chance of both me and Isabelle surviving was much higher than if I didn't. He would've killed her. I'm positive."

"I can't have my agents running around on their own accord Payne. I have your gun and badge, and frankly, I'm not sure if you should get them back," his voice barely concealed his frustration.

Alina lowered her head slightly, then looked back up at him with a fire in her eyes, "I understand, but I do not regret my decision. I heard she made it back to her family. If getting beat up and risking death got that women back to her husband and child, then it was worth it."

Hotch stood in silence for a few long moments before placing Alina's gun and badge on the table next to her, "Don't let it happen again." He reached out and touched her shoulder reassuringly before turning to leave the room.

She watched him leave quietly. Her phone had magically found its way back to her as well. 25 missed calls. Her sister would always be her sister.

Dialing the number quickly, a hurried answer and reply came, "If I can't have you for myself..."

"We always have each other." Alina answered. Code words were always a good indication of the situation.

"Oh thank goodness you're okay! When you didn't check in, I didn't really know what to do!"

"Yeah, yeah sis, I'm fine. We'll be back in town soon, just got caught up in a case here."

"Well hurry home! Your birds keep calling your name and I SWEAR they are moping around like the saddest birds I've ever seen."

"No worries, no worries. Love you sis. Good hunting."

"Same to you. Toodles!"

As soon as she shut her phone Morgan and Spencer walked into the room.

"How you holding up?" Morgan asked.

"Not too bad. Wrists hurt, but the medicine is helping with that."

"Do they have you on anything to help you with the pain?" Spencer looked at all the things she was hooked up to, carefully observing each one.

"Ah nope. Don't really need any. Pain has never been a problem with Payne's," she grinned and Spencer smiled slightly.

Morgan placed the back of his hand on her forehead, "There must be something wrong with you if you're making such bad puns and playing them off as jokes."

She laughed and punched his arm playfully, "Hey!"

They all started laughing. Seemingly at nothing, but it was more so a way to express all the relief that everything worked out alright. They were just glad she was safe.

"Alright, well I have to finish filing reports, so I'm afraid I'll have to go. Don't worry though, pretty boy will stay here and keep you company," Morgan winked at Reid before leaving.

Spencer sat quietly for a bit, "So... I brought you things to read in case you were bored, but I wasn't really sure what you liked so I brought a variety of genres, but then I remember you also read really fast so they wouldn't last very long, so I tried to stick with just one genre but-"

"Reid."

"-you never particularly struck me as a vampire fan, even though JJ recommends it and-"

"Reid."

"-I've personally never read it because I don't really get the appeal of-"

"Spencer!"

He looked up from the pile of books he was flipping through, "Hmm?"

Alina took the book he was holding and smiled, "Thanks."

**Well there we go. One case down. Still in Vegas. Now next chappy will be more relationship stuff instead of this kinda stuff. Reviews are nice :) Please and Thank You!**


	12. Chapter 12

**So yeah, another update. This one's got fluff :) Yay! And many, many Doctor Who references, so if you get lost, I apologize, it will be kept to a minimum in later chapters. I don't own anything! Not even a bow tie :'(**

"So really, how are you holding up? I mean... you were held hostage and beaten, I know what it's like," Reid searched her eyes carefully.

"I'm really fine," she replied softly.

Reid smiled in response and leaned back in his chair while he watched Alina rifle through the stack of books he brought.

"Besides, I'd rather face him then a pack of weeping angels any day," she smirked at him and peered up from one of the books.

"Oh Doctor Who references now! You really must be losing it... you sure they don't have to on drugs?"

"Sass from Dr. Reid? I wish I had a tape recorder, JJ will _never_ believe me."

They both silently laughed at the mood and were glad to get rid of any lingering tension. Alina finally decided on a story and began reading. Reid settled back and let his face fall a bit at he thought.

"We're leaving tomorrow. In the morning, after you're discharged," Reid said while observing his hands.

Alina lowered the book a bit, processing the information. "You should be visiting your mother then! I'm fine, honestly! Go see her," she looked at him shake his head slightly.

"I'm staying here," it was almost a whisper.

"But why?" Alina put the book down completely and stared at him a little dumbfounded.

Spencer pulled the chair closer to the bed, "Because I know what that look in your eyes means. You're on the verge of tears and you try so desperately to hide it from everyone. I know the second I leave you'll just sit here in bed and cry in loneliness," he took her hands and got closer while tears started to well in her eyes, "and I'm here. I'm listening.. just let it out. I'm not going anywhere."

Tears finally spilled over and she hugged him. He responded and gently stroked her back as she cried. It was overdue. All the emotions she had learned to hide and never reveal came out all at once. She held on to him for at least an hour... finally settling down enough to catch some sleep, but Reid stayed there all night, holding onto her hand and never letting go.

* * *

"So... a Doctor Who fan?" Reid poked fun again.

They were back on the plane to Virginia. With the media settling down from the story because of JJ they were able to leave without much trouble at all. It had been quiet in the initial take off due to lack of caffeinated team members, but now that that problem was solved everyone was off to there usual routine.

"Hey now! Doctor Who is cool! I wouldn't mind the TARDIS showing up in my back yard and going on an adventure through time and space," Alina was sketching again and Reid was sitting across from her.

"Well I have seen a few episodes. Not too bad."

"Yeah, I watched all the original ones, stopped for a while, then caught up with the new series recently. Watched all 5 seasons in three sittings... never doing that again."

"Why?"

"I had a British accent for _weeks_. I have this thing where I can remember almost anything I hear. Can even remember ambient noise, usually useful, but not when all you can say are lines from a TV show for a while.

"Did you pick up the Scottish accent from series 5?"

"Yeah that too. It was weird with the switching between accents, couldn't even stop it," she put her sketch book down, "wait a second, did you say series 5? So you do watch it..."

"Like I said, a few episodes."

Alina grinned and looked at his small fidgeting, "You're such a liar..." Done with her sketch, she turned it around and showed him. It was Spencer dressed up as the eleventh doctor standing next to the TARDIS and Alina standing by it.

"So if I'm the Doctor, are you Amy Pond?"

"I'm more of a Donna Noble, although, none of the companions really dress like me..."

"Well if you have me in a bow tie, you better be dressed as Amy."

"My my, you want to see me in a miniskirt that badly eh?" she said that last line in a Scottish accent and laughed at his embarrassed reaction.

Meanwhile, Prentiss, JJ and Morgan were all in the corner observing the two.

"They are definitely flirting," JJ was in awe at this new behavior in Reid. She really had never seen this side of him before.

"I agree. I mean come on, Reid is _teasing_ her for god's sake. I didn't even know he knew what that world _meant_," Morgan just shook his head in disbelief.

"It's fascinating. They're just too perfect for each other," Prentiss was also shaking her head. Their body language was so natural and content. "I know they're late twenties, but watching this is just _adorable_." Morgan and JJ nodded in agreement.

Alina finally sighed and leaned back, putting her sketchbook away, "I'm suddenly not excited to go home."

Reid's only response was cocking an eyebrow in confusion.

"Katie sent me a text this morning. About her _boyfriend_. She's started up this game again where I have to guess who he is before he guesses who I am."

"Not sure I follow..."

"Well, he works at Quantico, so it's conceivable for me to realize who he is. I have to text her his name when I figure it out, and I can't make random guesses because I only get three guesses before I automatically lose," she sighed again and continued, "however, her boyfriend gets the same opportunity to guess who her sister is. If he tells her first, I lose. If I tell her first, I win."

"What happens when you lose?"

Alina's face cringed a bit and she let out another exaggerated sigh, "I have to go on a double date with her and her boyfriend... and whoever her boyfriend chooses for me. If I win though, I don't have to do a double date, so that's motivation for me."

"Your sister really does love torturing you, doesn't she?"

"She's younger, torturing me is her job."

**Oooo, the game appears! Wonder who her sister is dating? Feel free to guess in reviews! Although I feel I made it obvious. Oh well.**

**Explanation for the Doctor Who references is that it's all I've been watching for two weeks and am currently writing a fanfiction about the Doctor and Amy's adventures. Again: sorry if you didn't get the references. And if you did: Yay! **

**And just once more for emphasis: Review!  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this chapter is so short. Kind of a filler chapter. Next chapter will get juicier, so just you wait. Not much time to look over this chapter, so please excuse grammar and spelling errors. If they're too distracting just say so and I'll fix them. I was just kind of in a rush to get this chapter up in time. Sorry. **

**I don't own anything. **

"Really? You're gone already?" Alina spoke to her sister over the phone on her way home.

"Yeah, sorry to say. Work this time though, not just for fun," she sounded genuinely sorry she didn't get to see her sister this time around.

"Well hopefully I won't be on a case the next time you decide to pop by. Talk to you soon, bye." Alina hung up after the dismissal was repeated by her sister.

She arrived home shortly after and, upon unlocking the door, was abruptly covered in three large birds trying to land on her at the same time. Pandora had perched on her right shoulder, Alphonse on her left, and Newton was randomly perched on her head attempting any grip possible on her fiery hair.

After they all settled down from their crazy flurry of affection, Alina got around to feeding them lunch and making some for herself. She had finished her reports on the plane home. She was quick at those. The irritating subject of seeing someone to talk about her abduction came up once, but she made a convincing enough argument to Hotch to get out of it.

Now all she was really expecting was a relaxing rest of the day at home, then back to work tomorrow. Whatever worked.

In an hour however, she found herself with nothing to do. It was mind numbingly boring and even strategy games online couldn't get her out of this funk. Opting instead for checking the weather, she was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too hot outside. Lathering on some sunblock and sifting around her front closet for harnesses, she decided to take the birds on a walk.

Putting the harnesses on, she next attached the leashes and waited for everyone to get comfortable. It had been a while since they last went on a walk.

Once every one was ready to go, she held tightly on the leash and set out down the street. Still sporting pants, she had decided that short-sleeves were a good enough alternative appropriate for the warm weather.

Upon passing Spencer's house, she was surprised to find him outside. He wasn't really doing anything in particular, just sitting outside.

"What are you doing?" Alina walked over, her birds all neatly perched on her protected right arm (she was wearing a long leather glove).

"Oh, Alina. Just getting my daily dose of vitamin d," he stood up to greet her.

Alina smiled. It was just like him to be outside for a specific reason like that, "Care to join us on our walk?"

Reid didn't really say anything back to that, he just nodded and walked next to her when she started up again, "Is your sister home? Did you manage to catch up with her?"

"Nah, she had to leave again. Out of the country this time. Australia."

"Sounds... fun."

"Poisonous and deadly animals at every turn and every wild creature wants to kill you? My sister will have a blast."

"Well when you put it that way..."

"Sarcasm. Seriously, my sister loves everything about Australia. She will most definitely be having fun, between work at least. She has some sort of business deal to work out there."

"Ah."

After about twenty minutes they had circled around a few blocks and were back at Alina's house. They stood awkwardly at the door a few moments before Alphonse mentioned what was crossing both of their minds.

"Please come in," Alphonse squawked out.

Alina giggled a little at her bird's lack of the shyness she possessed. She opened the door and gestured for Spencer to go in, "Go ahead."

He timidly went through the doors, looking at the sky before venturing too far in though. He didn't want to spend another night here if he could help it. His self control was tested enough as is.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to go put these guys in their cages," Alina walked off, leaving Spencer to look around for a seat.

There appeared to be seven different ridiculously comfortable looking things to choose from, but Reid was never good with making decisions like that so quickly. When Alina walked back in, Spencer was still standing in the middle of the living room looking at the couch.

"I never knew sitting down was such an important life choice. You make me nervous just looking at you," she laughed again at his silliness and sat in one of the lounge chairs facing the TV.

Spencer was starting to hate that laugh. It made him all bubbly and giddy inside, and it was hard enough not making a fool of himself without her making it worse by _giggling_. Goodness. He was going crazy. Driven absolutely mad by this beautiful, sarcastic, teasing, wonderful, fiery-haired coworker that claimed to be shy. He was glad they were friends, but the way she smiled and pulled her hair behind her ear left a little part in the back of his brain hoping it didn't stop there.

"Oy statue boy! Take a seat already so we can watch the new episode of Mythbusters."

That had gotten his attention. He quickly found an inviting looking sofa and sunk into it, ready to enjoy the show.

**Yay Mythbusters! So what do you think is going to happen while Spencer is over ;) I know I haven't had much limey or lemony goodness at all really, but stay strong my readers! It's rated M for a reason! Please Review :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you for the reviews everyone! They really do make my day! Nothing too juicy yet, but it's definitely getting there ;) I don't own anything! Enjoy~**

Time had passed rather quickly and before either of them realized, the episode was over. Alina sat back with another cup of coffee and flipped through channels absentmindedly.

"You seem lost in thought," Spencer noted when the channel stopped on wrestling for more than five seconds. She didn't seen like the type to be a fan.

"Yeah," she took another sip and resumed flipping.

"Care to share?"

She stopped flipping, looked at him and smiled, "86 percent."

"Hmm?" Spencer was confused at what she was referring to. Statistics cycled through his head quickly as he tried to think of something that was 86 percent.

"Oh nothing," she resumed flipping again but finally decided on just turning the tv off, "It's getting late isn't it."

Spencer looked outside to see it getting dark out, "I suppose." He didn't particularly want to leave. He was so comfortable on his place on the couch. Drowsiness was tugging loosely on the edges of his mind.

Alina put her coffee on the small table next to her chair and stood up. She saw Spencer's eyelids fluttering slightly and walked over to the couch. Kneeling, she smiled and said, "Now don't go falling asleep on my couch. I'm going to make dinner, would you like to stay?"

Spencer blinked his eyes quickly to wake himself up a bit and looked up at her. He didn't know how he ended up lying down on the couch, but their he was. And their she was. His eyes flicked between hers as he tried to process what she just said.

"93 percent," she sighed quietly.

He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes. He was awake now. Alina had begun to stand up and he followed suit. This weird new concoction of chemicals had somehow found its way to his brain. Suddenly, without warning, his hand shot out on its own accord and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her toward him. Their foreheads were suddenly touching and their breathing was erratic. He felt Alina's hand on the back of his head, combing through his hair.

No turning back now.

He nudged her head to the side as his lips finally found hers and the passion they didn't know they had all came bursting out at once.

All his worries and anxieties the past few days drifted away as his head tried to wrap around was exactly was happening at this point in time. He was kissing her. And she was kissing him _back_.

She pulled him in closer as their tongues danced in the others mouth. It wasn't forced, it wasn't too fast, it was the expression of too many emotions at the same time.

Spencer's hand had rested itself on her hip. She felt herself being pushed back onto the couch and didn't fight it. He placed one knee on the inside of the couch and suddenly he was straddling her. She sunk into the cushions as his fingers danced at her side. Her house was quiet other than the sound of their breathing.

His left hand left her hip and joined the other holding on to either side of her head. He pulled away from her. That was his limit. As far as he would let himself go.

He was suddenly ashamed of himself. He got up off of her and fixed his clothes, "I think I'll just go home. Thanks for the offer though. See you at work tomorrow."

He was out the door before Alina could even think of something to say. Her mind was reeling with what had exactly just happened. It definitely didn't seem real. She brought her fingers up to her lips and touched them gingerly. Yep. That definitely just happened.

Work was going to be awkward tomorrow.

* * *

"Did something happen between you two again?" JJ asked Alina quietly. How perceptive.

"Wha- hmm? No. Nothing," Alina immediately went back to typing on her computer. She glanced over at Spencer quickly. JJ definitely noticed.

"Really now, I'm curious," she had noticed his strange behavior all day. He was going out of his way to avoid Alina. He didn't even bother being discreet about it.

"I'm not even sure myself," she sighed. She had a long day ahead of her.

* * *

JJ had just cleaned up and gone home. It was just Alina and Reid now. Well, Hotch was probably still there, but that was currently irrelevant.

Alina gathered up her courage and sat by Reid's desk again, like she had on her first day. The chess board slamming on his desk pulled his attention. He turned in his chair and looked at Alina. His heart started racing in a mixture of fear and excitement, but he ignored it and focused on putting the chess pieces on the right squares. He was set up to be playing white.

"Tell you what..." Alina finally spoke, finishing her side of the bored, "if I win, you can tell me what the hell happened yesterday."

Spencer thought a moment. He didn't even know what the hell happened yesterday. His body had just moved of it's own accord. He didn't plan on losing however, "and if I win, you tell me what those percentages meant yesterday."

She thought critically for a moment before quietly agreeing. This was suddenly a very, very important chess match.

Every move was for a purpose. Each was well thought out, but the speed of the game went by quickly. They were fast at analyzing the others moves and acted to counter it. Alina knew she had fallen for the trap the moment she moved her queen though. An unavoidable checkmate in seven. How infuriating.

She opted to play it out however, instead of forfeiting then. It gave her time to think about what she was going to say. How she would explain what she meant. It was suddenly extremely embarrassing to her that she had even mentioned it at all, but part of her enjoyed that thrill. It was entertaining to think what he might have thought she meant.

Checkmate had come however, and she was out of time to think.

"I win," she heard, and her heartbeat started pounding in her ears.

"97 percent," she almost whispered. No retreating now. "That's how sure I am."

Spencer's brow furrowed in further confusion, "Sure of what?"

Alina fiddled with the king before responding, "...the fact that I'm beginning to like you as more than just a friend."

A strange silence sat in the air after she spoke. It wasn't awkward or tense. It was charged anticipation, as if it was just waiting for something to happen...

**Muhahaha cliffhanger! You'll have to wait 'til next week to find out what happens! My 18th birthday is on Tuesday, and it would be totally awesome for people to review as my b-day present! Just saying :P Review! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Three weeks since an update..SORRY. Break from school and holidays. Everything had me a little distracted. Now that school's back I should get back on track and maybe even get a few extra updates to make up for the long wait. **

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! And yeah, sorry for grammar and spelling mistakes, I don't have anyone to edit and I don't really have the time to, so it's gonna happen. Thanks for putting up with it :)**

**Don't own Criminal Minds, although I wish we would get more episodes soon :(**

**Enjoy**

Spencer didn't really know what to do. He wanted to kiss her again so badly, but the risk of Hotch catching him stopped that insane idea. He couldn't just stare at her dumbfounded though, then she would get the wrong idea. He smiled shyly, but genuinely thrilled, "I like you too. Which logic is telling me a just a mix of different chemicals in my brain, but there's nothing wrong with that."

Alina smiled and began to clean the chess pieces up. She was glad that horrifically embarrassing part was over and done with, "Now how about we leave before Hotch looks down and sees us all smiley and giddy. I hate when he draws his own conclusions."

"Agreed," Spencer helped her pick up the rest of the board, and they were soon on their way out to their cars.

"See you tomorrow," Alina waved and opened her car door.

Reid waved back and smiled, heading off to his own car. He was far to embarrassed to say or do anything else. What he needed to do now was go home and take a nice cold shower to lessen the heat burning on his cheeks and help slow the rapid beating of his heart.

* * *

When Alina drove into her driveway, she turned off the car and leaned forward onto the steering wheel to calm her heart. She couldn't stop smiling. Getting out and locking the car with a beep, she approached her front door briskly. She hesitated what she put the key in the lock.

Her birds weren't squawking.

They always started calling to her when they heard her car pull up. Always. Something was very, very wrong. She drew her gun and entered the house slowly. Trying the lights, they came on. She picked up her house phone, it was dead. Carefully going through each room of her house, she paused when she heard something faintly from the corner of her dining room. 'Pss pss psst.' Approaching the curtain, she was relieved when all three of her birds climbed down from the back side of it. They had been hiding. Newton was injured though, his wing was dragging on the floor, a little limp. Alphonse's beak and claws were covered in blood. Pandora was unscathed.

Alina motioned for them to stay hidden while she scouted out the rest of her house. Everything was absolutely silent except for her footsteps. Each step sounded loud and revealing to her. She swept the next room and stayed on guard.

An overwhelming smell of death nearly choked her senses as she approached her kitchen. She could hardly bring herself to look at the body on the ground, butchered in much the same way her mother had been. The entire floor was covered in a giant puddle of blood. Alina held back the urge to vomit.

She held her gun tightly and slid down her wall, wanting so badly for all of this to just be another nightmare. Tears angrily burned down her cheeks as she opened her cell phone to call Hotch. She could hardly tell him what happened before the urge to hurl once again forced its way up her throat. She wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to cry until she couldn't cry any more. She wanted to let herself be sick and not care, but she had to keep her guard up. The murderer could very well still be in her house. Alina hadn't checked the upstairs yet, but she was waiting for Hotch, or the team, or anyone. She couldn't stand to be alone right now.

* * *

Alina was shaking so bad when they finally arrived that she nearly shot Prentiss in the leg. She helped her up and led her out to the ambulance. JJ held her hand reassuringly as they made sure she had know injuries. Prentiss had called the vet at Alina's request and Newton was getting cared for. He had a fractured wing, but as long as it was set and he didn't try to fly with it, it should recover.

When the forensics team arrived to examine the murder victim, they swabbed Alphonse's beak and claws. From the amount of blood on his head feathers, he had gotten a good bite on the intruder.

Reid finally came outside after he was done checking every part of the house. The murderer was no where to be found. He came over to see how she was doing.

His appearance would've made her laugh had she not been unfocused and emotionally drained. Only three buttons on his shirt were done, and they weren't even the right ones. He wasn't wearing an undershirt and his boxers were slightly visible because his pants were on backwards.

"Did you get dressed in the dark?" she attempted a humorous tone to lighten the mood, but her muscles were almost refusing to let her smile.

Spencer understood what she was trying to do and shrugged, "Hotch called while I was taking a shower. Just pulled on whatever, grabbed by gun and ran over here." He had checked around back and came in through the back door. Alina soon saw him and directed him upstairs. He had been reluctant to leave her alone, but he had known the team would be there soon.

"You're not going to find this guy. He's too good," Alina hopped off the back of the ambulance and checked on the status of her birds. They seemed to be doing fine if not a little bit shaken like her.

"You've encountered him before?" Prentiss started scribbling things down on her notepad.

"Yeah. He's been contacting me since my mother was killed. At first he just left messages in my mailbox, then he sent me pictures. Picture of my mother's body. I checked, they weren't crime scene photos."

"Haven't you gone to the police?" Spencer knew about her mother because she had told him, but he didn't know if the rest of the team knew yet. They probably didn't understand the significance of the way the woman was murdered.

"Yeah. They just thought I was paranoid at first. Everyone assumes you're just jumpy after something like that happens to you. They started an investigation when I showed them the pictures though... They didn't uncover anything."

"How do you know it's him?" Reid crossed his arms, thinking back to her mother's case files.

Alina pointed to her mailbox. The flag was raised.

Spencer went over to it and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Written on the middle of the page in large cursive letters were simply the words 'Miss me?'

**Jeez, Alina can never catch a break can she? I was going to delve into more of the romance right away, but I feel it would be too soon. They're both socially awkward people, they need to figure out what's going on between themselves first. So now a sociopath is emotionally tormenting Alina... oh boy. **

**Please Review even though I was evil and kinda left you at a little cliffhanger for 3 weeks. Sorry!**


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